Deconstructed: Tiramisu
The king of Italian desserts, tiramisu combines the wonderful flavors of vanilla, coffee, and chocolate, as well as textures of soft and creamy; there is no dessert like it. It is a mighty dessert that Italian restaurants worldwide serve in one shape or another.
But how do the components of tiramisu come together to form Italy’s most iconic sweet treat? Wonder no more because I am about to tell you all about it.
If this article about tiramisu is something you enjoy and you want to see more of it, then make sure to hit that subscribe button!
Ladyfingers: Without them, you would have a plate full of cream.
Ladyfingers are a dry, cakey cookie made with eggs, flour, sugar, and vanilla. They get their name because their shape is like…the thin, delicate fingers of a lady.
Ladyfingers can be made, if you wish, or found in grocery stores with other pre-made cookies, but they aren’t always available. A good substitution Nilla Wafers; they provide a stronger vanilla flavor than ladyfingers and have the same support structure. They are thinner, however, so you may want to stack them as you build your tiramisu.
The Soak
By definition, tiramisu means ‘pick me up.’ That term refers to the mixture of coffee and alcohol (in the form of either marsala wine or brandy) that the ladyfingers are dipped into to soften them and give them more flavor.
If you are serving this to kids, you can certainly omit the alcohol and use a decaf coffee.
The Cream filling
Ladyfingers aside, the bulk of tiramisu comes from an indulgent cream mixture, the main ingredient of which is a thick, soft, creamy cheese known widely as mascarpone. There is no substitution in tiramisu for mascarpone, as its signature thick, creamy consistency makes me think of tiramisu just by smelling it. Regular cream cheese is too loose.
Mascarpone is iconic for tiramisu and other sweet dishes, but it also has a spot in savory dishes. For example, if you mix mascarpone with fresh basil, lemon juice, gorgonzola or blue cheese, and breadcrumbs, you’ll have a tasty filling to stuff inside of chicken.
The other main component of a tiramisu filling is heavy cream, which, when whipped with the mascarpone, some powdered sugar, and vanilla, offers a light, airy consistency that makes it more like frosting.
Cocoa powder
A classic garnish for tiramisu has to be a dusting of cocoa powder over the whole dessert; it offers extra richness plus some slightly bitter notes to balance the entire dish. Since the cocoa powder is more of a garnish, there’s no need to break out that fancy Dutch process cocoa powder.
Now that I’ve discussed the basics of tiramisu, here are some tips on building a beautiful dish at home.
When soaking the ladyfingers in the coffee, be careful as you don’t want them to fall apart as you build your tiramisu. It should only take about 15 seconds per cookie.
When whipping the cream mixture, be careful not to overbeat, as this can cause the cream to split and start turning into butter, which is not what you want in your tiramisu.
When building your tiramisu, start with a dry build by laying your ladyfingers without the cream in your pan, this way you’ll know how many you’ll need to line your pan and how you can construct it so that the ladyfingers don’t overlap.
Once your tiramisu is built, set it in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight to ensure a clean slice. This is not a dessert you can whip up at a moment’s notice.
For a fun presentation, place 3 ladyfingers into a martini glass and add enough cream to fill it halfway. This is great because it’s a good way to maintain portion control.
Tiramisu is a dessert that will live in my heart forever, and is, without question, something that will fill your mind with thoughts of joy and help to pick you up.
